– In his tiny shop in downtown Athens, Kostis Nakos sits behind a wooden counter hunched over his German calculator. The 71-year-old might have retired had he been able to make ends meets but that is now simply impossible. “All day I’ve been sitting here doing the maths,” he sighs,…

24 maart 2016 – “Pregnant women, people with disabilities, and young children in particular are stuck in limbo without dignity or hope,” said Eva Cossé, Greece specialist at Human Rights Watch. “The suffering in Piraeus is a direct consequence of Europe’s failure to respond in a legal and compassionate way to…

3 februari 2016 – The most common arrival point for refugees entering Europe is a country in dire economic straits. “The refugee crisis is testing the limits of Greece’s flagging economy, jeopardizing its ability to handle a flow of refugees that shows no signs of slowing. Added to the existing…

21 december 2015 – Unique photos of the refugee crisis and the financial implosion in Greece captured by the lens of Yannis Behrakis, photographer of Reuters. Y. Behrakis has been chosen this year by the Guardian as photographer of the year. Look at the pictures and commentary at: The Guardian

30 november 2015 – “How Europe’s poorest country is doing more than anyone else to help Syrian refugees”. Annia Ciezadlo is reporting in Politico Magazine from Lesvos/Mytilini: “Mytilini is where Europe’s twin crises of austerity and refugees converge. The Greek government is already paralyzed by years of economic collapse, EU-imposed austerity…

4 juli 2015 – Nicholas Vrousalis is assistant professor in Political Philosophy at Leiden University. He argues that ” The referendum announced by the Greek government on Sunday is its last-ditch attempt to get some leverage against the latest round of blackmail by the troika of the European Commission, the ECB and the IMF. Whatever…

3 juli 2015 – Saskia Sassen is a Dutch-American sociologist noted for her analyses of globalization and international human migration. She is Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, and Chairs The Committee on Global Thought. Sassen coined the term global city. In this article Sassen addresses the reader directly: “You, dear reader, decide if…

29 juni 2015 – Joseph Stiglitz, university professor at Columbia University and recipient of the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in economics, clarifies his choice as far as the referendum of 5 July is concerned: “It is hard to advise Greeks how to vote on 5 July. Neither alternative – approval or rejection of…

28 juni 2015 – Philippe Legrain, former economic advisor to the president of the European Commission (2011 to 2014) and visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute, is commenting on the referendum to be held on 5 July: “Greece’s creditors hope that by unleashing chaos, they can bring…

Juni 2015 – Matt O’Brien is a reporter, covering economic affairs, for Wonkblog, Washington Post. He argues that “for years, Europe’s leaders have insisted Greece cut deficits in exchange for concessions. Greece’s economy has already shrunk 25 percent, and it is having trouble honoring its obligations in part because it has…

25 juni 2015 – Costas Lapavitsas, member of the Hellenic Parliament for Syriza, argues that instead of acceding to the troika’s devastating demands, Syriza should free the country from the trap of the common currency – if the Greek people agree. Greece and the government of Syriza have now come…

12 juni 2015 – James Galbraith, professor in government-business relations at the University of Texas, illustrates in this article the reasons why creditors’ demands would only prolong Greece’s crisis. He makes clear that reform is the only thing missing from creditor’s demands as “‘Reform in any true sense is a process that requires time, patience, planning,…

5 juni 2015 – “The lenders are effectively asking Greece to sign its own suicide note”. The Syriza-economist Kostas Lapavitsas explains his ideas in this interview that he gave to Elisa Simantke, journalist of Der Tagesspiegel. Read the whole interview at: Tagesspiegel. Interview with Kostas-Lapavitsas Photo: dpa

25 juni 2015 – The German sociologist and philopher Jürgen Habermas criticizes “the constipated manner in which the German government perceives its leadership role in Europe.” According to Habermas “It’s the citizens, not the banks, which must retain the final say in existential questions for Europe.” First published in German in Süddeutsche…

12 juni 2015 – Costas Lapavitsas, professor in Economics of the University of London and member of the Hellenic Parliament for Syriza, presents the proposals of both negotiating parties and argues that the European “institutions” are seeking a public defeat of Syriza and the closing off of any alternative. Read the…

4 maart 2015 – The famous Greek-Cypriot singer songwriter Alkinoos Ioannidis, wrote an open letter (published in Open Democracy) to reach European citizens and make clear what the austerity measures imposed to Greece by trojka actually mean. “What does our salvation look like? Our people have been asked to go hungry in…

17 juni 2015 – Nikos Devletoglou, emeritus professor of Economics, University of Athens, is wondering: “Wouldn’t the extra ‘reforms’ of Greece’s creditors also create in the end masses of freshly victimized Greek citizens practically sharing today the fate of many thousands of undocumented immigrants critically encumbering the country today? Read the complete…

24 maart 2015 – “Europe’s periphery—the so-called PIIGS—is presently under siege by financial markets. Greece is at the forefront of this fight. Indeed, the election of SYRIZA seems to have pushed the country out of the furnace and into the fire. Short of leaving the euro, the Greek government has only…

16 juni 2015 – Matine Stevis, Wall Street Journal’s correspondent in Europe and Africa, expresses the feelings of Greeks living abroad during the crisis in her autobiographical report: A Greek Abroad: Ambassador, Defender, Expert, Apologist. “After five years of being told by non-Greeks that you’re lazy and don’t pay taxes (you’re not, and you…